Deep water soloing – I’ve done it before in a swimming pool, up at La Bisbal Del Penedes, but today I pop my cherry on the real deal, albeit a small easyish sector at La Mora. With a couple of diagonal traverses, you’re never more than 10mtrs above the swell, so the fall – if it comes, isn’t too traumatic. I try rather optimistically one of the longest lines, as my first climb, and immediately recognise some of the basic characteristics of psicobloc that set it apart from good old single pitch sport climbing.

The rock is greasy to the touch, and as I didn’t have a chalk bag slung behind me, hand drying was down to wiping my trunks. Ok if they’re dry, but if you’ve already had a dunk…

You’re also more conscious of falling, and probably because of this (and the greasy feel) you tend to grip harder than is necessary. I tried a few lines, then decided to concentrate on one, to learn it and send it. Right hand photo above, left hand side, we can see the chalked up start point. The climber is on the ‘lower’ traverse, where as I worked the ‘upper’. I got it on the 3rd try, and the grade? About 15mtrs long, around 30-odd moves. And super-difficult, of course!